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“This is ultimately a matter of human dignity,” Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said of the proposal to boost the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 (from the current $7.25) and index the wage to the rate of inflation every year going forward. Silver noted that if the $1.50 minimum wage of the 1970s had been indexed, the current minimum wage would be roughly $10.80.

Assemblyman Keith Wright, chair of the chamber’s Labor Committee, said working people deserved “pay upon which they can survive.” The two were joined by roughly two dozen of their fellow Assembly Democrats and representatives from unions and advocacy groups.

Silver said he had discussed the matter with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and noted the governor’s statements that he was eager to see details of the proposal. He said several senators had been in communication, though the bill doesn’t yet have a sponsor in that chamber.

In the Q&A that followed, Silver said that there had been initial discussion with the Senate in the wake of Judge Gary Sharpe’s announcement of a June 26 Congressional primary day, but no news about whether the Legislature would use that day as well. Senate Republicans hoped for an August primary.

From the Speaker’s release:

Calling it a matter of dignity and crucial to the ability of working men and women to climb the economic ladder, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly Labor Committee Chairman Keith Wright, today introduced legislation to raise the minimum wage in New York to $8.50 an hour and index it to inflation to ensure wages don’t erode in the future.

“Last year we began the process to instill fairness in New York’s tax code, and now we are addressing the inequities at the lower end of the pay scale,” said Silver. “It is absurd to expect anyone to afford the cost of living today and be able to invest in their future on a pay rate of $7.25 an hour. That is why it is my top priority this legislative session to repair the ladder to success, to make an investment in our working families and ensure that they can continue to do so as the cost of living continues to rise.”

The legislation (A.9148) calls for the minimum wage to increase to $8.50 in January of 2013. The minimum wage will be indexed, requiring an increase each year to adjust for inflation according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Indexing will begin January of 2014.

The legislation will also set wages for food service workers who receive tips at $5.86. This wage will also be indexed annually to adjust for inflation.

“Raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation is a matter of economic fairness, and our plan progressively rewards hardworking men and women who are trying to make ends meet,” said Assemblyman Wright. “According to the US Census, nearly half of all Americans have fallen into poverty or joined the ranks of the working poor. This is not the American Dream. New Yorker’s who work full time, shouldn’t be poor. It’s as simple as that!”

The minimum wage in New York has increased only ten cents in the last six years. It was raised with the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour in 2009. Prior to that, the minimum wage was $7.15, which was set in 2007.

The District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and 15 other states have higher minimum wage rates than New York State.

Ten other states have passed legislation indexing the minimum wage to ensure the minimum wage will not erode each year as the cost of living rises

“I want to thank Speaker Silver, Assemblyman Wright, and their colleagues for their leadership on this critical issue,” said Mario Cilento, president of the NYS AFL-CIO. “Increasing the state minimum wage and indexing it to inflation is smart policy. It will benefit both workers and our state economy, as this money will be spent right back in our local communities. This bill will ensure that never again is the buying power of the minimum wage ravaged by inflation. Workers and their employers will have modest and predictable annual increases to plan for. With this bill, we have the opportunity to make a real positive change in people’s lives.”

“A broad coalition of labor unions, community organizations, and the Working Families Party is supporting the Assembly to raise the minimum wage this year. This legislation is a small but important step that will help forge a path out of poverty toward the middle class,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) of this effort. “New Yorkers need a wage-led recovery from the recession. It’s time to transform economic vulnerability into economic security. This legislation tells low-wage New Yorkers that they are not invisible or forgotten, and that government can improve their lives.”

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